ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by defining the concept and practices of global governance. In this way, it provides students with an overview of the many governance challenges competing for attention on the international agenda. The chapter illustrates how the efforts to address global concerns such as international terrorism, international crime, asymmetrical war, weapons of mass destruction and climate change are all made more difficult by the financial constraints imposed by the global recession 2008–12 and the problems of compliance gaps in weak states. After discussing the numerous competing items on governance agendas, we then turn to the evolution of the international security and economic governance architecture. Despite the rise of regional organizations and non-state actors such as multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations, this chapter highlights that the international organizations created after World War II remain central to the global governance architecture. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the rise of new global powers such as China, Brazil and India and their efforts to alter decision-making procedures in order to increase the organizations’ accountability and perceived legitimacy. One of the most significant challenges facing the international community is how to innovate or adapt international organizations to include new state members and non-state actors without significantly harming the effectiveness of the organization and their ability to make decisions needed to address diverse governance challenges.
